Weddings

Alex and Sarah at Aswanley by Glass.

A wedding is an opportunity for a couple to express themselves and to embrace their philosophy on life. We are privileged in that Scotland is one of the few countries in the world where a Humanist wedding ceremony is recognised as legal. This has only been the case since 2005 and means that I am authorised to conduct Humanist marriages without the need for a separate ceremony at the register office.

I am delighted to say that Scotland has recognised that all couples should be allowed to marry - regardless of gender. That means that same sex couples now have exactly the same rights to marry as opposite sex couples. If this is you, I would be delighted to help you to celebrate your love with a personal wedding ceremony.

​

​We conduct Humanist marriages for couples with Humanist beliefs and I ask that couples take a look at the page 'What is Humanism' and ask themselves if they understand and identify with the basic tenets of Humanism when they are considering a Humanist wedding ceremony. There is an excellent short 'quiz' on the HSS website which may help you to decide if your personal approach to life fits with the Humanist ethos. Try it here

A Humanist wedding ceremony can take place anywhere on Scottish soil that is 'safe' and 'dignified'. This means that if you want to get married on the beach, in the garden of your house or on the top of your favourite mountain - you can. Use your imagination - it might be somewhere that is particularly meaningful for both of you or somewhere that has a tremendous atmosphere. Of course it could be a local hotel or castle - the possibilities are endless. My own personal favourites are weddings outdoors particularly by the water but of course living in Scotland, these present their own challenges - not least the dreaded midgies! One day I look forward to being asked to perform a wedding on the beach at Sandwood Bay in the far northwest. It can only be reached on foot after a walk of just over four miles but wow is it worth it! It is owned by the John Muir Trust and you can find details of the Trust and Sandwood Bay here. John Muir TrustThere is no need to have any kind of special licence for your chosen venue and ceremonies can take place at any time of the day and on any day of the week

We were thinking of you the other day, we still have such great memories of that day. It was so deep for us, exactly what it should be. Thanks so much again for helping us to create it. Fraser & Misa

Your ceremony, your way.....

Your wedding ceremony will be unique to you and you can have as much input into designing it as you want. Some couples are very 'hands on' with very specific ideas about what they want whereas some are happy to leave it to me to come up with something that I think 'fits' them and then we tweak it until we are all happy with it. My job is to give you the ceremony that you want. The only absolutely non negotiable parts are the legal declarations that are required by law but these are quite brief. Some couples worry that because the ceremony has no religious elements it will not be dignified, meaningful or have sufficient 'gravity'. Please be assured that a Humanist ceremony is non religious but it is in no way anti religious and there is nothing that will be said that could offend any of your family or friends who may have a religious faith. Your ceremony should reflect you, the kind of people that you are, your hopes and dreams for the future and your own individual philosophies on life

"Just a little message to thank you so much for the lovely service on Saturday. It was everything we dreamed of and more absolutely perfect. Lots of guests were commenting on how beautiful it was. We had the most amazing day couldn't have asked for better" Claire & Ryan XX

How much does it cost?

Carla and Chris at Knoydart House

The fees that I charge are in line with those recommended by the Humanist Society Scotland: £410 in 2018 plus travelling expenses which are charged at 55p per mile for any mileage incurred in connection with the ceremony. This includes any meetings that we have in advance of the ceremony.

Many couples want to have a rehearsal in the run up to the ceremony and the charge for this is £50 plus travelling expenses as above. Whether or not to have a rehearsal is entirely up to the couple themselves.

If it is necessary to travel by ferry or to stay overnight, the cost of this would be borne by the couple.

There are other fees to be paid to the registrar when you complete the legal paperwork. You will find the current rates for these from the local registrar or from the website of the General Register Office of Scotland. You'll find a link to the GRO site on my links page.

The other expense for the couple is that we ask that couples are members of the Humanist Society Scotland when they book their ceremony. The current membership fee is £43 per couple and you'll find details of membership on the HSS website.

'On behalf of Susan and I we would like to express our gratitude to you for the way you conducted the day's proceedings, your love of what you do is clear for all to see and the warm professional way in which you guide nervous people through the day was a joy to be part of.As Father of the Bride this was a very special time for me and my pride was there for all to see and our beautiful daughter just stunned me with the walk down the aisle with me in a daze was so special and seeing you waiting gave me such comfort' - Colin Smith

I am based near Elgin in Moray and so most of my ceremonies are local to here but I am happy to travel anywhere in the Highlands and Islands and Moray, or even further afield if the need arises but the travelling expenses can soon mount up for the couple. There is a network of celebrants all over Scotland and I'm happy to put you in touch with somebody nearer if my travelling expenses would be prohibitive.

The one thing that I will say is that as the popularity of Humanist Weddings increases you may find it difficult to find a celebrant for your chosen date. It's best to contact your chosen celebrant well in advance to discuss dates and availability so as not to be disappointed.

Please contact me to discuss a Humanist Ceremony with no obligation whatsoever. It is important to me that you are happy with your choice of celebrant and I appreciate that you may want to meet with me before making a decision. If you decide that you would like me to conduct your ceremony, I will ask you to join the HSS if you haven't already and then complete a booking form which sets out everyone's responsibilities in the run up to the big day. I will invoice you for the ceremony fee plus the travelling expenses a month before the wedding date and ask that the invoice could be settled before the day of the wedding.

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.